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FINAL
REPORT May
12, 2004 Submitted
to:
Marchel Smiley FROM:
Joanne Williams REPORT
OF:
AFRAM Strategic Planning Meeting The
following represents an overview of the recently held strategic planning
meeting designed to re-focus and re-think AFRAM’s programmatic
objectives. As stated by
AFRAM leadership, the anticipated meeting outcome would be a
re-positioning and possibly an organizational restructuring that more
effectively served as an advocacy vehicle for African Americans within
the SEIU. Background
Summary AFRAM
leadership contacted Barrington Consultants to provide facilitation
services intended to provide guidance and pathways enabling substantive
and productive discussion during a two-day gathering of national AFRAM
executive board members; local AFRAM chapter presidents;
African-American IEB members, and African-American leaders and activists
in local unions. It was explained
further by AFRAM leadership that the meeting needed a framework allowing
participants to discuss and subsequently reach consensus on:
AFRAM’s founding mission; its current relevancy; strategies
that promote organizational growth, revitalization, direction; real or
perceived barriers that work to inhibit AFRAM’s purpose and
objectives, and an organizational action plan.
Approach Understanding
time constraints and the need to have an end product, the facilitator
constructed a meeting scenario that allowed for:
It
should be mentioned that leadership issued approximately 50 invitations
with the expectation that 25 to 40 people might attend.
As meeting time drew closer, nearly 70 people were registered at
the hotel. By the time the
meeting convened, the room was filled to capacity, with more than 100
people in attendance. Initial
meeting facilitation scenarios were quickly adjusted to accommodate the
increased numbers in attendance and to ensure a positive meeting outcome
and open dialogue among attendees. Each
registrant received a meeting packet that included the AFRAM Mission
Statement; AFRAM Constitution & Bylaws; Resolutions presented at the
AFRAM 2003 Leadership Development Conference in Miami, FL, April 28,
2003, and a copy of the Social and Economic Justice Committee (SEJ)
draft summary report that was presented by the Committee to the
International President for review and approval. DAY
1 AFRAM
President, Marchel Smiley welcomed those assembled, gave an opening
statement and introduced the facilitator.
Ground rules were established with an emphasis on reaching
consensus. The facilitator further encouraged the group to respect
divergent opinions, see beyond titles and positions for purposes of
two-day discussions in order to re-set AFRAM on a vital and important
vehicle for African American members of SEIU. A
brief history of AFRAM from its founding in 1996 through to the present
served as the meeting’s informational foundation.
Within his nearly 40-minute presentation, President Smiley
succinctly provided an organizational overview focusing on founding
mission, early goals, program focus, structure and its relationship with
SEIU, and the effect various SEIU policy changes and operating
environment had on AFRAM’s ability to follow its programmatic agenda. Smiley
concluded his presentation by bringing the audience into the present and
expectations for the future taking into consideration the current SEIU
operating environment, policy changes affecting AFRAM’s ability to
serve its members, and AFRAM’s relationship to SEIU leadership. Gerry
Hudson, member of SEIU Executive Board and co-chair of the Social and
Economic Justice Committee followed AFRAM President Smiley and reviewed
the findings of the Committee’s draft report expected to be unveiled
and accepted by SEIU leadership. Barbara
Calhoun, Joanne Golden, Rod Bashir, Rahman Muhammad, and Marchel Smiley,
AFRAM members serving on the committee and present at the meeting,
offered their individual perspectives on the report drafting process as
well as stated their support for the lengthy and intense process to
craft the document. Small
Group Discussions Following
the historical overview and presentation of the CSJ summary report, the
over 100 meeting attendees were divided into four (4) smaller groups to
begin a two-hour strategy discussion. The exercise to break up the
larger group into four smaller ones, served not only as a diversion from
the more serious matters of the day, but also worked to divide natural
cliques present in any organization or large grouping. In the end, the
four groups were comprised of “introverts,” extroverts,”
“judgers,” and “perceivers” based upon responses given on a
20-question, personality
“test.” In retrospect,
while the intent was admirable and indeed worked, due to time
constraints, some misunderstanding, and facility configurations, some
group members “strayed” from their assigned groups.
The
facilitator requested that each group identify a spokesperson, a
recorder, and a timekeeper to ensure that the critical discussions
anticipated during these sessions could occur and still conclude with a
consensus report. Additionally, each of the groups received a discussion guide
outlining the subject areas that required discussion. (See attached.) Self-monitoring,
each group intently worked through the question series arranged in four
sections:
The
four smaller groups re-convened following their discussions and reported
their results which concluded the business agenda for Day 1.
Subsequent to the day’s reporting out session, the facilitators
met to compile a full consensus summary report of the four small group
deliberations. (Original small group reporting documents and large work
sheets delivered to M. Smiley.) Day
2 The
meeting attendees gathered at 9:00 a.m. to hear a summary of the
synthesized small group reports. The
following represents the result of the synthesis. Historical
Overview 1.
Did AFRAM meet its founding purpose?
The general consensus was “Yes,” AFRAM did meet its founding purpose
with three out of the four
groups agreeing.
One group could not come to consensus, but did not disagree. 2.
Is AFRAM’s founding purpose as relevant in 2004 as it was at
its founding?
The
general consensus was
“Yes.” Every group agreed that the founding purpose was still
relevant. Groups stated different reasons for relevancy.
In summary, the groups
reported that it was still important for AFRAM to promote and advocate
for leadership development; to provide education, training and mentoring
opportunities; to have participation by African Americans at every level
within the SEIU structure; to serve as a national communications and
networking vehicle for African American Mission
Statement and Programmatic Agenda 3.
Is the AFRAM Mission Statement still relevant?
The
general consensus was
“Yes,” however, there appeared to be some “struggling” with the
agreement among the groups that affected solid confirmation. Issues that
arose and that were voiced included the 4. How should AFRAM’s programmatic agenda reflect the guiding
principles of the AFRAM Mission Statement?
Responses widely varied.
Some of the responses from the small groups
included: “through
increased mentoring at chapter and at individual levels;” by increased
bonding among AFRAM chapters; by instituting a
renewed focus on education and training of AFRAM members; by
connecting with Black workers outside of SEIU, and by promoting an
African American agenda. Structure,
Relationship, and Organizational Impediments 5. What are the real barriers, if any that adversely affect
AFRAM’S ability to address is programmatic agenda?
General Consensus:
Groups reported there were significant and varied barriers that
adversely affected AFRAM’s agenda.
Barriers generally fell into two broad categories – internal
organizational obstacles and barriers resulting from SEIU structural and
policy changes. Internal barriers
include: slow membership
growth and no recruitment 6. What do you see as AFRAM’s role and organizational
responsibility in relationship to the SEIU and its programs?
General
Consensus: Need to
devise an informational vehicle to get information to African-American
members from the IEB, and to serve as a
catalyst. Additionally, the group agreed that an action plan needed to
be developed that would hold the SEIU leadership accountable. (It is
assumed by the facilitators that the group was referring to the SEIU
leadership.) 7. What do you think the relationship should be between AFRAM and
the African-American members of the International Executive Board (IEB).
General
Consensus: The group
agreed that a closer working relationship needed to be established
between the African-American IEB members and AFRAM to promote an
African-American agenda and the overall interests of African-Americans at the union’s
international AFRAM’s
Programmatic Agenda: Going
Forward 8.
What are the four (4) most important issues or priorities that
AFRAM should address?
General
Consensus on the issues/priorities include: a.
Improved communications at all organizational levels and in all
ways. b.
Additional financial resources needed by AFRAM.
Strategies need to be developed to achieve financial
viability. c.
Accountability of AFRAM leadership to membership as well as
accountability at all levels. Other
identified action agenda items included:
organizing to increase membership with an emphasis on outreach to
youth; putting the AFRAM Mission Statement into action; development of
educational programs for members; development of a unified Black agenda;
development of a political and community action plan/program, as
examples of issues and priorities expressed by some group members
through their small group reports. 9.
How do you think they can be addressed?
Long-term and short-term?
Group did not come to any general consensus
on this question; however, there were responses that were shared with
group in the reporting out session.
The responses included: “by
any means necessary;” develop a program agenda; improve structured
communications; educate membership, choose our battles.
It
is the opinion of the facilitators that the above responses and ability
to arrive at consensus within such a limited timeframe signals the
dawning of a renewed appreciation for AFRAM’s existence and the
important role it plays on behalf of African-Americans within SEIU.
While there was disagreement and vigorous discussion, in general,
meeting participants agreed to put personal, and sometimes deeply held
frustrations aside to grapple with the organization’s strategy going
forward. Testimony to this opinion rests in the group’s final and
culminating task -- the development of an Action Agenda. ACTION
AGENDA By
consensus vote of the meeting attendees, the following represent the
seven action items for AFRAM’s organizational agenda. 1.
Revision of AFRAM Mission Statement language to include a
reference about “community activism.” (Short-term goal) 2.
Develop a national and regional communications program/strategy
to include the coordination of a bi-weekly conference call among AFRAM
Regional Chairpersons and the development of a national and regional
newsletter. (Short-term
goal) 3.
Modification of AFRAM governing constitution to include a section
on “Accountability” of organizational leaders to membership.
(Short-term goal) Additionally,
develop an organizational program and hold AFRAM leaders – at all
levels -- accountable for the program’s implementation. 4.
Re-visit and re-think the idea of holding national AFRAM
conferences on an annual basis, rather than on an every other year
basis. ( Currently, Regional Conferences are held on the “off”
years. 5.
AFRAM should initiate talks/dialogue with African-American IEB
members to improve communications and strengthen relationship to promote
an African-American agenda at the union’s national level. (Short-term
goal) 6.
Each member attending the Strategic Planning Meeting pledges to
organize to bring five (5) new members into AFRAM by June 2004.
Additionally, it was recommended that all current AFRAM members commit
to the same goal. (Short-term goal) 7.
Development of a national political action statement and plan to
be spearheaded by a sub-group yet-to-be formed within AFRAM. Statement
and plan to be unveiled by AFRAM’s 2005 convention and should include
language relating to immigration and healthcare, among other issue and
focus areas. (Long-term goal) Included
on Day 2’s agenda were poignant remarks made by SEIU Executive Vice
President, Patricia A. Ford. During
her presentation, Ms. Ford thanked AFRAM for its support throughout her
tenure and wished the organization well.
It should be mentioned that throughout the two-day meeting, Ms.
Ford’s support for AFRAM was acknowledged and reiterated by numerous
speakers and participants. Bill
Pritchett, Special Assistant to the SEIU President reviewed plans for
the Union’s upcoming 2004 International Convention scheduled to be
held in San Francisco, June 19 -23. President
Smiley thanked all in attendance, accepted the group’s constructive
suggestions to make AFRAM a stronger and more viable organization, as
did one of AFRAM’s early prime movers and founders, John “JJ”
Johnson. The
meeting concluded with an “open mic” segment.
Various members voiced their opinion about the meeting and other
topics of interest to AFRAM members.
The
facilitator distributed meeting evaluation forms to elicit feedback on
meeting content, structure, presentation, and suggestions for future
meetings. Overall, those that responded rated the meeting positively.
The major complaint centered on not having enough time to work in
the small group sessions. (Evaluations
available through M. Smiley) The
meeting adjourned at approximately 12:30 p.m., Sunday, April 8, 2004.
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